Ngugi Wa Thiong’o: Disempowering the English Language

 

                                                                                     Some Biographical Facts:

(1)  born in Limuru, Kenya in 1938

(2) received an education from the University College in Nairobi and from Leeds University in England (like Harrison)

(3) His native language is Gikuyu and the first novel he wrote in this language was written on toilet paper in prison after he was arrested for a  play he wrote (the play, entitled “Devil on the Cross” was extremely critical of the political powers ruling Kenya at the time).

(4) He has taught at NYU and is now at UC Irvine.

(5) has been extremely involved in politics and many consider him a political exile since he was forced to leave Kenya

(6) He writes many of his works in Gikuyu and translates his own works into English.

Exploring “The Language of African Literature”:  Some things to keep in mind

Although we are presented with only a short extract from his book entitled “Decolonizing the Mind: The politics of Language in African Literature,” it is important to keep in mind that these segments we hold in front of us are EXTREMELY loaded with complicated theoretical, cultural, political, and linguistic claims. Ngugi is trying to reorganize the linguistic hierarchies that the English language (as it has been installed by the British) has forcefully set in place in Africa. He is urging his fellow writers to become aware of the responsibilities they have as African writers, as writers who have first-handedly witnessed the effects of colonialism and decolonization. The English language, as he recalls, is literally forced upon the individual,  so much so that students are punished when they misuse it and rewarded when they use it properly. His implication here is that English, as a language, has obliterated the regional languages throughout Kenya, and literally brainwashed the indigenous population into believing that theirs is a lesser means of communication. The English language, as he mentions throughout, is a the primary tool of colonialism, and it remains even after the colonizer leaves. So when does colonialism end? Of course historically we can make the claim that it has ended, but Ngugi (and Said, Bhaba, and even Spivak, some of the theorists Prof. Donelan mentioned today) is attempting to portray how the decolonized African nation still maintains several superimposed colonial structures. The British may have left, but their structures remain…and Ngugi believes that  Kenya (and Africa as  a whole I would presume) needs to reorganize and reassess the residues of colonial power and thus remove the labels of “backwardness” that have been maliciously placed upon the newly decolonized space.

I know that may seem a little overwhelming, and it should seem like that. These are, as the Professor mentioned, highly debatable and controversial topics. There is not right answer, no conclusion, only possibilities for future explorations. I think Ngugi opens up these possibilities and explains, quite beautifully, how the connections between language and culture help form individual world views and values. He is, as he reminds us, attempting to “transcend colonial alienation,” in hopes that the people who once shared a language and a culture can, once again, merge  together. Communication, once again, becomes a central theme.

Questions and Thoughts:

(1) Literature is clearly concerned with language. It is language that gives a story, whether written or told, its voice, its power, and its presence. What does Gikuyu do that, for Ngugi, English simply can not?

(2) Compare this essay to Orwell’s “Politics of the English Language.” Ngugi seems to take on this Orwellian tradition, even in his title (“The Politics of Language in African Literature”), but he does so in a completely different way. What connections can be made between the two authors? What is the connection, for Ngugi, between language, culture, and power?

(3) Many African writers and scholars have disagreed with Ngugi’s claims, believing that the English language actually empowers the African writer since, in using English, the African writer can make himself understood by more people, therefore allowing his “particular” cause to gain a more “global” dimension (Ken Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian writer, was one of these believers). What do you think? Does using the language of the colonizer empower or dis-empower the previously colonized subject? Why? —-Think about this particular question for the section this week. I am really curious and interested in how you all respond!

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